Amazing Family Adventures in The Lake District, Cumbria

Sponsored feature

As the summer holidays come to a close, Me Becoming Mum – a Cumbria based family influencer and blogger – has partnered with Aqua Pura to share her top family days out in the region.

Aqua Pura, the Natural Mineral Water brand, is bottled here in the heart of Cumbria and has made it its mission to encourage more families to spend quality time together and go on adventures – rain or shine! For this reason, Me Becoming Mum has shared her recommendations and thoughts on the best Cumbrian family adventures below.

---

My family and I moved to Cumbria in 2019. Since then we've had the most amazing adventures as we've explored all that our beautiful home county has to offer. The more we explored, the more my blog – Me Becoming Mum – became about travelling, and sharing the best tips and destinations for family days out.

So, if you're looking for places to explore with your family, whether you live locally or are here for a staycation, I've got you covered. Here we’ll explore my top picks for escaping the rat race and enjoying a family adventure in the Lake District and Cumbria.

Explore local historical ruins

Cumbria has a rich and wonderful history and there are so many opportunities to enjoy the remains of everything from castles to forts and even Roman baths. There are so many options, but five of our favourites are:

• Brougham Castle
• Castlerigg Stone Circle
• Hardknott Roman Fort
• Lanercost Priory
• Penrith Castle

Top tip: Some, such as Carlisle Castle or Brougham Castle, have various ticket prices and/or require a membership such as Historic Houses or English Heritage for free entry. Others, such as Hardknott Roman Fort and Penrith Castle are completely free to visit. Bear this in mind when planning your family adventure.

Get in on the action with local tours

Whether you fancy exploring on Stagecoach's open-top Lakes by Bus tour or want to head into the slate mine at Honister, there are plenty of local tours that are suitable for all the family. When you head out for the day, don’t forget to pack a rain mac (after all, Cumbria is England's wettest county) and plenty of water to stay hydrated on your tour. You could even enjoy local Cumbrian water with Aqua Pura’s bottled mineral water in recycled bottles.

Take a hike

No, I’m not being rude and telling you to go away. I mean go for a literal hike. I am blessed with children who have grown up climbing the sides of the Lakeland fells, and walking the Lake District circulars around our county's famous lakes. There are so many options when it comes to hiking or walking in Cumbria, it’s just about knowing the ability of your family.

• If you want to start with easy routes, the Lake District National Park’s Miles Without Stiles routes are a range of accessible options.
• If you’re up for more of a challenge, why not try hiking to complete a Wainwright or two? Catbells and Loughrigg are great starter fells to hike.

Top tip: Always be prepared before any walk or hike. For example; make sure you have charged your phone; check the weather forecast and sun set time before heading out; pack a rain mac; always carry plenty of water.

Get down to the lakeshore

Cumbria is famous for its lakes – they don’t call it the Lake District for nothing! Whether you fancy a six-mile walk around the Buttermere circular; or your children would love a paddle at the water’s edge of England’s deepest lake, Wast Water; or your family are fans of paddle boarding (with the right license) and head to Ullswater; the lakes of Cumbria offer beauty and activities for all ages to enjoy.

Discover the Cumbrian waterfalls

This has to be one of my favourite family adventures. There is something special about seeing the flow of water cascading through the hillside in the midst of woodland, Lakeland fells, and all the beauty of the Cumbrian countryside. Three of our favourite easy, family-friendly waterfalls you can find in Cumbria are:

• Aira Force 
• Lodore Falls
• Stanley Ghyll Force

Top tip: Do you have a National Trust membership? If you’re heading out to enjoy the Cumbrian waterfalls, there are National Trust car parks that you can use to park for free with your membership. We keep our membership live because using it to park just twice a month means it pays for itself.

Have fun on child-friendly trails

Whether you head to Grizedale or Whinlatter Forest, the trails there are fantastic. Complete with activity packs, signs, and so much more, these trails are ideal for families with younger members. The trails are also great for walking even if you don't fancy heading out to find the Gruffalo or Zog, and they’re dog-friendly too.

So, there you go. Cumbria has a plethora of places to explore and things to do, you’ll be spoilt for choice when heading out for a family adventure. I hope that my 6 top picks help your decision making process a little easier, and you enjoy exploring Cumbria as much as my family and I do. Don’t forget to plan ahead, pack essentials, stay hydrated with Aqua Pura, and – most importantly – leave no trace!

---

If you’re wanting to spend more time exploring the great outdoors as a family, Aqua Pura is currently giving families nationwide the chance to win a whole host of prizes. From vouchers for Go Ape (redeemable nationwide), Halfords mountain bikes and a Cath Kidston picnic set to one of 13 vouchers for a PGL holiday, make sure you visit www.win.aqua-pura.com/ to be in with a chance of winning.